Mangalore: Hospital offers free surgeries to fix facial deformities

Mangalore: One of the country's biggest medical camps for people with facial deformities is being held at the KS Hegde Medical Academy in Mangalore, after the hospital received over 1,400 responses to its free surgery initiative. After CNN-IBN telecast a report in December 2011 on the free face-changing and life-changing surgeries that Dr Vikram Shetty and his team does, over 1,400 patients have thronged the hospital.

Most of them have suffered lifelong psychological problems because of their facial deformities. Three-year-old Abhishek and his sister Ajanya are among the 70 patients waiting for a surgery that they hope will change their lives.

The siblings have a short jaw, which has affected their health. Abhishek has had to face severe breathing problems because of his deformities.

Their from Kerala has travelled over 300 kilometres to the KS Hegde Medical Academy in Mangalore for a free cosmetic surgery that they hope will bring change. "Many people have taunted about my children's looks. We came here for treatment after seeing this on CNN-IBN," said Rekha, the siblings' mother.

"There was a case of a girl who has attempted suicide twice out of depression. She was taunted about her looks etc. Then she heard about us and now her confidence level has entirely changed. She is even looking out for a groom," Dr Vikram Shetty, surgeon, KS Hegde Medical Academy said.

In a world where first impressions matter, the pressure to look good is immense. That explains why hundreds of patients turned out at a special camp wanting their lives to change.